The railway network is one of the great wonders of humanity. After all, they can connect countries, cities and even continents in a matter of minutes and hours. However, its framework does not work by pure magic, and there are elements that are as useful as they are dangerous when it comes to functioning. One of them is its electrical lines, among whose connections is the catenary.
A recent event has put this last term in the eye of the hurricane. Suddenly, everyone is wondering what a train catenary is. As we already hinted at before, it is an element of the electrical fabric that sets the railway system in motion. Thus, it would be a line that conducts high-voltage electricity to the trains, energy from which they can circulate and make the usual journeys. In the railway sector, technicians prefer to call it by the name of Airline Contact Line (LAC)..
For its part, the name catenary refers to the shape that the cable takes when suspended over the railway lines and their trains. The curve that is formed, a product of the length of the cable and the acceleration of gravity, has this name. Of course, the trendelectric gone is not the only one to adopt the term, and the fact is that any element whose length allows it to take the usual curved shape of power lines can really be called a catenary. For example, a string hanging between two columns.
The train catenary, a dangerous element and at first glance
Now that you know what a catenary is in the railway field, it is likely that you will know how to distinguish them when using the Renfe network in Spain or that of the country in which you are located. This high voltage cable can be distinguished with the naked eyeand although it is out of reach for most people (for safety reasons), it is an element that could be fatal when handled.
These systems They conduct electrical currents whose power can range between 600 Volts and 3 Kilovolts., subjecting the human body to a shock for which it is not prepared. When is it most dangerous? Although it is located at a good altitude, moments of social exaltation could lead a group of people to climb on the roof of a train. It is at this moment when the catenary is within reach of anyone, ending in accidents when touching it.
On occasions, videos have been seen of users who, with some long object, manage to touch the LAC system (accidentally or not). Due, have lost their lives or been seriously injured.